The Star Guiding Earth
by Lady Star1
Summary: Daine and Numair's life takes an un-expected twist, when a being as powerful as the greatest gods ask for a favor. I can't tell any more, will ruin the story. Chapter two is rather pathetic, but chapter three will be worth it.
1. Chapter 1 * Listening

The Star Guiding

The Star Guiding

Earth

Chapter 1 * Listening

Nighttime near the western end of Corus. Once again on the Winter Solstice, Veralidiane Sarrasri snapped her eyes open, once again knitting her eyebrows and using her Wild Magic to shape bat ears, trying to hear a faint, almost wailing sound in the distance. Her teacher, friend, and lover, Numair, sensed her stirring with his intense magical gift and turned in his bed looking at her questioningly. Her expression slowly melted to awe. Both kept silent while he lit a small dim candle. Finally after prolonged silence he calmly spoke "the barrier?" "No" he said to himself, "it was sealed by gods and I as much of Corus should feel it too." He looked out the window to the dark city, sprinkled with dots of light from The Dancing Dove Inn, recalling. 

Dawn of the last Winter Solstice gave an abrupt wakening to all creatures with the mortal magic Gift, immortal magic, or Wild magic. The magical barrier between the mortal and immortal realms had, as Numair had said, "evaporated". The immortals were released from the immortal realms. War raged in the mortal realms. Diane and Numair's presence led to disturbance in the Dragonlands. And The gods fought to control their sister being, Chaos. Everything interlocked in what looked like one great catastrophe, which finally had to be settled by Father Universe and Mother flame.

He turned back to Diane, waiting, his presence patiently by the border of her mind itching to go in and relieve her anxiety. The dim light flickered and now he could see the droplets of sweat forming on her upper lip. She continued to stare at the nothingness in front of her face. Her gaping mouth moved though her eyes stayed locked. 

"I must find it" she wheezed.

"What? find what?" he asked calmly but concerned.

She turned to face him, her haunting blue-gray eyes wide "I don't know, its calling me . . . they're calling me".

"Calling your name?"

"No" she whispered as if to end the short lived conversation. 

She slipped out of bed and reached for her coat and boots. Her tall friend grabbed his long black robe symbolizing his mastery of his magic stage and followed her out muttering to himself.

"She hears something calling so she decides to go out roaming the streets of Corus at . . .at . . .eleven sharp" he realized with a shudder. 

The night chill returned Diane's senses to her and only now does she realize how silly she must look in a nightgown, coat, and heavy boots. "No time to change", she told herself, " time's running out."

"What did you hear?" asked Numair his dark eyes pleading and worried. No answer. If she explained the complicated yet simple messages in her head he would spend an hour performing tests, making inferences, explaining possibilities and talking away an hour of precious time needed to reach . . . her destination.

He did not question whether she knew what she was doing. The last time she went searching for some unknown thing she found a baby dragon who proved to be very useful in many areas. 

"Let me guess you, found another dragon"

"No" she replied sternly. "Skysong was the last dragon in the mortal realms and the barrier's sealed now." He got unnerved at her using the real name of her dragon instead of Kitten.

They continued walking. Now they were out of the city and in a light forest. Numair couldn't help noticing they were walking directly west in the direction of a very bright star. 

" Diane, could I reach into your mind? Your . . .strangeness, searching for the right word, might be due to some magic." "Bad magic" he added. 


	2. Chapter 2 * Following

Chapter * 2 Following

Chapter * 2 Following

To add to his worries his venture in her mind discovered it was not magic that made her act like she was under a trance, but her own free will. He immediately found the reason for her sternness the second he crossed into her mind. Two voices. The first, a wail, long, thin, high. It broke frequently to take a breath. The second, a females booming, calm, and uncomfortably overpowering voice made Numair also fall into a stern yet alert trance. 

**"Shhhhhhhhh"**

"Listen"

"Follow"

"Find"

Numair felt as if he trespassed on voices not meant for his ears. He quickly retreated from Diane's mind. The voices seemed unreal. They were not magic, more like voices that speak in ones head when they read or think. Then the voices came back. Only now they were in **his **mind. 

**"Go on"**

"Listen"

"Follow"

"Find"

"Listen to what?" He thought. For a heartbeat the wailing that had become background music pulsed louder, quickly returned to its original volume. "Listen to that?" "That . . . voice?" He did notice that while the female voice spoke the bright star twinkled. He thought nothing of it at the time.

Numair understood. He followed the voice while the female voice instructed and encouraged them. Now he was sure that bright star twinkled while the voice spoke. He and Diane concentrated on the wailing sound while still comfortably aware of their surrounding. They trod on through the densening forest. Listening, Following, seeking their find.


	3. Chapter 3 * Finding the lost, Losing the...

Chapter 3 * Finding the lost, Losing the found

Chapter 3 * Finding the lost, Losing the found

After about an hour of listening, following, seeking, and silence the couple noticed that the bright star was almost directly overhead and had stopped twinkling just as the voice no longer spoke. It was Diane that saw it. 

"Numair, did you see that?" still whispering and surprised by her own voice.

"What!?"

Then it hit them. The female voice had gone away but the wailing sound grew louder and louder. 

"I saw a glimmer in the brush, just for a second"

"Did it look like someone's Gift?"

"No, The gift is a solid color. This was a glimmer of Silver and C . . .C . . . Copper"

Silence came on them once more, they both continued walking and put off the question of what in any of the realms possessed two toned, silver and gold magic.

Over the last few years they had learned to use the word impossible with great respect. 

Now they both heard something change in the wailing. It sounded real. Terrifyingly real. Numair ran through all the things that it could be, while Diane hurried forward with purpose.

"Numair? I found it"

Numair, half expecting to find a baby dragon, unicorn, baslik, or the more vicious stormwing, spidren, coldfang, hurrok or some other oddity, was completely taken when he stepped into the clearing.

The clearing itself was unusual. It was perfectly round, and the Bright star was directly above it shedding a steady silver glow from above. The soil had no trace of plant or animal matter and all the trees leaned into it as though they watched with anticipation. 

By the side of the ring was Diane beaming and murmuring to what Numair had least expected. The sole creature least connected to Diane but madly drove her on a one-hour crusade on the longest night in the year in nothing but a nightgown and coat was . . .a human baby? A baby making a sound nothing has ever heard or made. She looked up at Numair, eyes sparkling, and mouth painted in a grin. 

"Can we keep her?" asked Diane with the same sparkle of eyes as the baby. Numair was about to speak when the female voice broke the silence.

**" You must," **she hastily said in a horrifying tone of agony, grief, and fear.

****

"I'm afraid our meeting will be brief, on the last second of this millennia Chaos will take over. Tonight, I will take my leave."

" But tonight is the Winter Solstice not new years eve." 

****

"You mortals count time differently. Ask your gods how it's really done. I best explain why I am asking this favor of you"

"Yes you best" remarked Numair

****

" I, like your god Mithros, am a star. Am the first star. Unlike Mithros who was blessed with many planets, I only have one. The creatures on my planet are revolting the presence of the Gods. You may wonder why can the gods not defend themselves. One millennia ago when creatures all worshiped us life was in balance. As in your world there is Chaos. Well, Chaos destroyed the balance of one being after another. Now, almost every creature on my planet all favors Chaos. The Gods were made weak by disbelief until one by one they die, vanish, cease from existence. When the last being disbelieves in me, I will too die and Chaos will rule for a millennia. Then over a millennia, beings will gradually remember the gods until the god have regained balance. It is an ever-going cycle that never should have started thanks to the folly of Father Universe and Mother Flame. This year it will change. This is the one-millionth year Chaos will take over and I have a favor to ask of you. This is my daughter. I ask you to raise her and when the time comes release her. Please do as I bid it is the only hope for this destructive cycle to end." 

Awed, Numair asked, " why did you choose us"

****

"I knew the most powerful Gift and strongest Wild Magic would protect my child.

Numair and Diane exchanged glances. They had never seen each other in this light before. Numair sighed and nodded to Diane. She said,

"We graciously accept your Gift . . . umm"

**"Mother Star. Thank you mortals for taking my child. Never forget you have befriended a star for it is a gift beyond explanation. Don't reveal my daughter's nature to her until it is time for her to take her true form"**

"Mother Star, what should we call your child?" asked Diane.

"And if she is your child she must be a goddess" added Numair.

****

" She is a goddess you don't need on your planet for your beings are born with plenty of it. I named her after hope. Her name is Earth."


	4. Chapter 4 * Earth Born

Chapter 4 * Earthborn

Chapter 4 * Earthborn

Numair later looked into Earth and found that yes, the star child did have Immortal and Wild Magic. It was not a steady glow like his, or a spring like Dianes, but a changing, shifting swirl of glittering silver and smooth copper. A Choas vent was sickening to look at, while Earth's magic was serene. Earth lived in the small tavern room that Diane and Numair had rented for three days. They planned to present Earth to court as their own daughter. For those who asked, Earth's Wild Magic came from Diane, and the Silver Magic came from her parents. Numairs gift would be absent in the child. They agreed that Earth was about two years old. No one had seen Diane and Numair during their travels away from court so they couldn't doubt Diane's pregnancy. If any problems occurred they could deal with them later. Neither Diane or Numair like being on such a thin tightrope, but experience had taught both of them not to disobey gods.

On the third day after the Winter Solstice Diane hurriedly dressed Earth in a cream colored baby gown. She herself donned a navy gown and a silver ankle length overcoat. At the palace, she resided in her room. Soon a pair of footsteps were heard down the hall. A running, pitter patter ran down the hall followed by a heavier walking creature. The footsteps stopped outside their room and a high trill started. The lock popped of the door steaming but the spells put by Numair held. A small slited eye looked through the hole and whistled, clucked and trilled. Diane smiled and rose to meet Kitten by the door. Quickly undoing the spells the door burst open and Kitten jumped into Diane shrieking. Laughing she unlocked the small limbs from her arms and legs. Tkaa the baslik warmly greeted her with a hug. Suddenly Kitten became silent and walked to the cradle. She peered in and murmured a dragon gasp. Tkaa, closing the door, asked

"Is she yours?"

After a moment of hesitation,

"Yes."

"She is beautiful . . . for a mortal"

Diane laughed. The door opened.

"Diane I thought I told you to lock the door with my spell. Oh! Tkaa! Kitten!" Kitten chortled as she sniffed Numair all over, and Tkaa and Numair embraced.

"Welcome back Numair, you have a lovely baby."

Numair glanced at Diane.

"Thank you Tkaa" he said mildly. In a stronger tone he added "I spoke to King Jonathan, I have anounced our baby to him and it is being recorded. We can present her to the court at dinner tonight. 

Dinner was quite. Diane sat with her child between Numair and Alanna. After the baby was introduced to the court. Alanna leaned over in her chair and whispered to Diane

"Well, you sure got your figure back in a hurry"

Diane looked at her wide eyed and forced out a laugh. Alanna ginned.

"Since you're a first time mother I'll be glad to help instruct you."

"Thank you Alanna but, you forget, my mother was a midwife, I'v grown up around babies."

Slightly offended Alanna supplied "Oh, why did you name her Earth?" 

"My mother, Sarra, wanted it so. To remember the world she left behind. Alanna, I love you like a sister, but you're prying and I don't apprecite it."

Alanna sighed and lifted the godesses ember from underneath her shirt. 

"I can see it, the magic, because of this. No one else can, or someone would have spoken up by now."

Diane sat flabbergasted almost letting the child slip off her lap. Earth did not in the least want to end up on the floor so she broke Dianes melencholy by crying. This cry was not just any baby's cry but a thin high wail that shook the palace to the ground. All the residents looked up from their conversation, obviously flustered. The Queen, who was never confused clung to her husbands arm like a small child. King Jonathan stood up, shook off his wife and wove between bewildered people, running to his room. Minutes later, after several pauses in the tremors where Earth had to take a breath, King Jonathan arrived with a velvet pouch. He dumped the Dominion Jewel into his palm and spoke in a language only few understood. The Dominion Jewel stopped the tremors, or they stopped because Earth silenced herself to listen to Jon. She then giggled and cooed in the most baby like way. Alanna was the first to speak. She hoisted herself onto an chair and took inventory of the mess. Then in her most diplomatic voice. 

"On behalf of master Numair and I, we apoligize for the mess made to the dining area and the inconveniance to your dinner. We were preforming some experiments it seems the gods have deemed unauthorized. No real damage has been made.

After a short uproar from the audience. Alanna flared and spoke in a more normal tone.

"Oh for the sake of Mithros! overturned chairs, ruined dresses. The gods spared all our lives. We should be grateful for that."

The crowd silenced. King Jon stood up.

"So mote it be Lioness. So mote it be"

"So mote it be" replied the guests as Diane and Numair fled to their room.

  
  
[Chapter 5][1]  


©Lady_Silver_Astri_Amaroq 2001

   [1]: StarEarth5.html



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